see the atmosphere composition and presence of bacteria aboard the International Space Station ( ISS ) is important to bear on the health of its spaceman and to keep its instrumentality in workings parliamentary law . A fresh study has perform a cleanliness balk of the Space Station and found the presence of pathogens , which are mostly harmless on Earth , that could perchance lead to infection in space .
When it comes to living in space , we still have a lot to con . Gaining insight of life aboard the ISS is not only important for the astronaut working there , but also for be after succeeding long - full term foreign mission to the Moon and to Mars . There ’s nothing quite like the ISS ; it ’s a microgravity environment with lofty carbon dioxide floor , continuous human line and under a constant bombing of cosmic irradiation .
The researchers wanted to figure out the microbiome – the composition and act of microbe – of the ISS . To do so , the team gathered line filter samples and vacuum cleaner grip dust from the station and compare them to the rubble from NASA ’s uncontaminating way , which are rooms under nonindulgent environmental controller that are used for scientific inquiry or manufacture and are easily bear on by airborne factors . Clean rooms are a tight match to the ISS , but some fundamental differences exist : clean suite distribute fresh air , they are not occupied around the clock , and they can be used by a large phone number of people .
The subject used DNA sequence for quick and accurately see for the presence of potentially morbific organisms . As described inMicrobiome , they found more than 75 species of bacteria , including a mold that let go of an acid that corrode metal , glass , and rubber . Of those , they found that the largest bacterial population belong to the group Actinobacteria , which are commonly associate with human skin . The study also highlighted that twoopportunistic pathogens – those that can cause problems if the innkeeper ’s defenses are compromise – are present in the ISS .
" By using both traditional and commonwealth - of - the - art molecular psychoanalysis technique we can build up a vindicated photo of the International Space Station ’s microbial community , help to distinguish bacterial agent that may damage equipment or endanger astronaut health , and key areas in need of more stringent cleanup , " lead generator of the study , Kasthuri Venkateswaran , said in astatement .
While the study expatiate our apprehension of the possible microbiological endangerment within the ISS ’s environment , it did not value the virulence of the bacteria found , mean their ability to invade and do infections or disease . So at this stage , it ’s difficult to thread conclusions on the health risk these being may sit to the astronauts , but hopefully further body of work will shed light on this area .
